Network connectivity is typically associated with costs to provide and operate. Fixed and mobile resources are generally shared in frequency and/or spectrum, are a finite resource, are regulated, can be expensive to purchase and/or operate, and can be associated with physical limitations affecting deployment of resources. Improved efficiency and utilization of network resources can reduce a cost per bit, e.g., reducing the cost associated with operating, use, or deployment of data transport networks. Moreover, efficient use of a finite resource can allow for more users of the pool of resources, e.g., the more optimal the use of the limited resources the more users benefit from the resources and generally the lower the cost per unit use off the resources.
Consumer data network traffic is generally considered to be ‘bursty’, e.g., consumer data network traffic tends toward short periods of intense use and other period of little use. Where a period of intense use can employ all allocated bandwidth for a communicative link, while a period of little use can have large quantities of unused bandwidth that is provisioned in anticipation of a next burst of use. This unused bandwidth is effectively wasted bandwidth. Moreover, the period of intense use could be limited by the allocated bandwidth, e.g., if more bandwidth was allocated, more data could be moved in the same amount of time during the intense use period. It can be desirable to use the underutilized bandwidth that is otherwise wasted.